Health Monitoring Procedures
Brief description of housing system, health monitoring programme and health status of the EMMA SPF live colonies.
Type of facility
Animals distributed by EMMA are bred at least in SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) barriered facilities in which all materials are sterilized (autoclave or chemical) before entry. Staff entering the barriered areas must use a wet or air shower and/or change into clean unit clothing. Where appropriate, staff working within the units is also required to wear gloves, face masks, mob caps and over shoes or dedicated shoes.
Housing system
Animals are maintained in either flexible film isolators, rigid Plexiglas isolators or IVCs (Individually Ventilated Cages) or in conventional cages in barriered areas under positive pressure and are given autoclaved bedding, autoclaved or irradiated food and disinfected or sterile water. Animals reared in IVCs are cage changed and manipulated under laminar flow hoods.
Health monitoring
The microbial status of each animal room is monitored on a regular basis, i.e. 4 times per year, which is the FELASA (Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations) recommendation for health monitoring. These screening programmes involve sentinel animals that are exposed to dirty bedding collected from other cages within the mouse breeding units (room, isolators or IVC cages). Depending on local procedures, some institutions also apply sentinel-free programmes. In the ‘sentinel-free soiled bedding’ (SFSB) or ‘exhaust air dust’ (EAD) approach, filter units are exposed to dirty bedding from other cages in the same breeding unit or to the exhaust air from the IVC racks for a sufficiently long period of time and then tested. Some colonies are also tested by direct sampling, such as germ-free mice.
Health report
Before receiving any mice from EMMA you will be sent a recent (< three months old) health report prepared in accordance with the FELASA recommendations. This health report will give details of the agents tested, the number of animals tested and the analytical methods used.
Sample health reports from each of EMMA’s archiving / distribution centres can be downloaded below. If you require any further information please contact the archiving / distribution centre handling your request.
Sample health reports
Note that these are sample health reports and not current reports. Current reports will be provided upon request. Additional specific health checks (beyond tests recommended by FELASA) are possible if required for importation but will then be charged to the customer.